DAY OF THE DEAD

A caravan of two dozen Indian women from the southern Mexican state of Chiapas arrived in the border city of Ciudad Juarez on Monday, to hold Day of the Dead ceremonies to mark the killings of hundreds of women here.

On the eve of traditional Day of the Dead celebrations _ Mexicans honor dead children on Nov. 1, and Nov. 2 for adults _ the Indian women in traditional garb held a ceremony at vacant lot where investigators discovered the badly decomposed remains of eight women in 2001.

They lit candles, blew conch shells, beat drums and burned incense in what they described as a ceremony of respect for the dead and solidarity for the victims' surviving relatives.

The caravan, dubbed "the Wind of 1,000 Voices," plans to participate in more memorial meetings in Ciudad Juarez during the coming days.

Cesar Alejandro, a filmmaker and border activist from El Paso who wrote, produced, directed and starred in an independent film now being released titled, "Juarez: Stages of Fear", which delves into the murders said the people of Ciudad Juarez and El Paso have become desensitized to the murders. Others, he said, don’t care because most of the victims are poor and some are of ill repute.

"I don’t think people care as much because they are Mexican women and that’s what makes me so mad," Alejandro said. "I think we are all worth the same. Our value as human beings is the same."

Through his film, Alejandro aims to raise awareness about the killings in Ciudad Juarez to people outside of Mexico. For the people in Juarez, he hopes the film will help them see the victims in a different light — as human beings instead rather than another casualty.

In Juarez, the story is shown from different angles, from the eyes of an American business traveler, played by Chris Penn, who is in Ciudad Juarez looking for a good time, another businessman who survived a traumatic experience at the hands of thugs and young woman who are ultimately killed.

All the proceeds from the movie’s soundtrack, De Mariposa A Cruz, will benefit these children, Alejandro said.

Several musicians donated their talents from the CD, including Little Joe, José Feliciano, Alejandra Guzmán, Joe Jackson and Jenni Rivera.

Locally, organizations like Mujeres Unidas, a private, nonprofit agency dedicated to serving victims of domestic violence are also supporting the film and its message.

"Because a large majority of our clientele are female, we see it as being important to speak out against forms of violence towards women in to insure that these issues are not ignored," said Diana Cuellar, Prevention and Education Program Coordinator for Mujeres Unidas. "Silence only facilitates this type of aggression. We feel it is vital to take a stand against all acts of violence. People should feel free to travel alone in their own communities, regardless of gender."

Hollywood, not surprisingly has tried to cash in on the murders.

Jennifer Lopez. and co-stars Antonio Banderas and Martin Sheen are currently filming in the Mexican border town of Nogales, where a set resembling the streets of Ciudad Juarez, where the murders took place, has been erected. In “Bordertown,” Lopez plays a Chicago-based reporter whose crusading investigations in Juarez, just across the border from Texas, awaken her sense of identity as a Latin woman. Banderas plays a US-trained reporter who runs a local newspaper and Sheen plays Lopez's editor, who is reluctant to take the story seriously.

Minnie Driver stars in an independent movie, "The Virgin of Juarez," shot last year but as yet unreleased, in which she also plays a journalist.

The victims’ families are not impressed with the big Hollywood productions.

"It doesn't help us at all, there is still no justice and no help for the families," said Celia de la Rosa, whose teenage daughter's raped and strangled body was found in a cotton field in 2001 with seven other victims. "This is making money out of our daughters' murders," she said.

The difference between the Hollywood films and the one made by Alejandro was his personal involvement in every aspect of the picture as well as his longtime knowledge of the subject and passion for the cause. Alejandro organized several marches and events in hopes of lighting a fire under local residents and lawmakers from both sides of the border.

The Hollywooders just come, pick up their checks, and move on.

Alejandro told The Monitor during his research in Ciudad Juarez, several mothers of the victims said that numerous media outlets visited the region, but filed their stories and left. No help was offered to the families, Alejandro said.

"Dozens of children were orphaned as a result of these murders," he said. "Most of them are living with other family members but they still have basic needs, such as schooling and healthcare." Sources: KRIS TV (Corpus Christi), Scotsman, El Universal (Mexico), The Monitor (McAllen, Texas), Guardian